What is Healthcare Waste?
Whether you run a hospital, a general practitioner surgery, a pharmacy or a laboratory, you have to deal with healthcare waste. This includes expired pharmaceuticals, bags and vials containing traces of toxic drugs, spilled liquids and contaminated body tissues or fluids. In addition, healthcare waste can include the waste produced in the course of healthcare procedures undertaken by patients at home (dialysis, insulin injections, etc.). About 10-25% of healthcare waste is regarded as hazardous and may create a variety of health risks. Disposing of pharmaceutical and other chemical waste such as lab waste can be highly problematic. Choose a safe and environmentally compatible treatment or management of Biohazardous Waste Disposal.
Healthcare Waste Classification:
• Infectious Waste: Any waste that is suspected to contain pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi) in sufficient concentration or quantity to cause disease, such as cultures and stocks of infectious agents from laboratory work, waste from surgery and autopsies on patients with infectious diseases, waste from infected patients in isolation wards and infected animals from laboratories.
• Infectious Waste: Any waste that is suspected to contain pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi) in sufficient concentration or quantity to cause disease, such as cultures and stocks of infectious agents from laboratory work, waste from surgery and autopsies on patients with infectious diseases, waste from infected patients in isolation wards and infected animals from laboratories.
• Sharps: These are items that could cause cuts or puncture wounds, including needles, hypodermic needles, scalpel and other blades, knives, infusion sets, saws, broken glass, and nails. Whether or not they are infected, such items are usually considered as highly hazardous waste.
• Pharmaceutical Waste: This includes expired, unused, spilt, and/or contaminated medicines, drugs and vaccines that are no longer required and Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal should be done perfectly. The category also includes discarded items used in the handling of pharmaceuticals, such as bottles or boxes with residues, gloves, masks, connecting tubing, and drug vials.
• Genotoxic Waste: This type of waste is highly hazardous and may have mutagenic or carcinogenic properties. It raises serious safety problems, both inside hospitals or practices and also after disposal.
